Pyramid Song
by chromate
Summary: No victory can be achieved without sacrifices. Two months after Hikari was again abducted to the Dark Ocean, the Chosen Children fought their last battle in the Digital World. This time, not all of them could return to the real world. Takari. Warning for swearing, character death, and implied adult content.


I feel like I haven't written anything dark in a while, and when this idea popped into my mind during shower, I just couldn't stop thinking about it, and hence the birth of this story. A certain scene is inspired by the shoujo manga, _Saiyuki_. It's one of my favourite manga series.

_Plot:_ No victory can be achieved without sacrifices. Two months after Hikari was again abducted to the Dark Ocean, the Chosen Children fought their last battle in the Digital World.

_Genre:_ Romance, Friendship, Drama, Adventure, Action, Tragedy

_Starring:_ Takeru and Hikari, among all Chosen Children and their digimons; Dagomon and his army

_Pairings:_ Takari; implied Mimato and Kenyako

Warning: there will be swearing, character death (for both humans and digimons), and implied adult content.

Story title is Radiohead's song of the same name. I like the feeling of it, and the lyrics seems to fit into the mood.

As usual, I recommend reading in ½ page size to get the feeling of reading a book.

* * *

The ocean was still, the air was tense, and the environment was hauntingly quiet. On the beach that appeared to be colourless, a tall, erect castle stood still. A number of creatures of the same kind were guarding the doors. Their facial features could not be clearly seen, and even with a closer look, they only appeared fuzzy and shadowy.

Inside the castle lived the king of this world of eternal damnation. The king had lost count of time, since everyday was the same to him: dull, colourless, lifeless. However, that was what he enjoyed the most about this place. Bright colours hurt his eyes. He could not stand anything that glimmered, unless he could paint it dark as well.

As he was pacing back and forth in the dungeon, he smirked at that thought. The fun lay in the process of turning something so pure, so bright into something of his own level, and he was immensely proud of his skills.

'Soon, Child of Light, your comrades will come to rescue you, and you will watch them die, one by one, in front of your own eyes.' His tentacle arm stretched forward and caressed the Child of Light's cheek. 'But don't worry. I will save the Child of Hope for the last. I know you two have a special bond, and I will grant you the honour of watching him degrade to your level as well, before killing him in your presence.'

The Child of Light said nothing, and did not react to his touch. She paid no attention to how rough and uncomfortably glutinous his skin was. She remained lying against the wall, motionless, as her lifeless eyes stared forward blankly. The dry tears on her cheeks were still visible to the king. She did not even bother to touch her ripped clothes, a one-piece grey dress that barely covered her body. The king of the castle couldn't grin any wider.

'Dagomon-sama!' A voice reached for the king, and he turned to face his loyal servant who was rushing to his side. 'The Chosen Children have arrived!'

Dagomon retreated his arm, leaned forward, and pressed his lips on the Child of Light's forehead. He laughed at the girl's indifference, and walked towards the exit.

'Let the show begin.'

* * *

_Takeru flung his fist at the wall behind him and kicked it several times out of frustration, startling everyone else in the room. He swore loudly, and others were not sure how to make him feel better. _

'_Calm down, Tak–'_

'_DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! HOW THE FUCK CAN I CALM DOWN?' He barked at Daisuke, who took a few steps back in fear. Although the blond had not been his usual self since Hikari's abduction, he seldom lost his temper like that. 'SHE'S OUT THERE IN THE DARK OCEAN BY HERSELF FOR SIX FUCKING WEEKS! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN WE'RE JUST SITTING HERE DOING NOTHING?'_

'_It's not like we don't want to help…' Iori weakly interjected. While he understood the pain and anger of the blond, he wanted him to know that losing his mind wouldn't make the situation any better, as everyone was also worried about the well-being of their fellow digidestined. 'Koushiro-san, Ken-san and Miyako-san just need to verify the data of the gate with Gennai and Azulongmon before we enter the Dark Ocean. It's a dangerous place, and we want to make sure we can all enter the portal and come back safely.'_

_Takeru let out another frustrated groan and shut the door behind him, choosing to sit by himself on the doorstep outside Gennai's house. All the digidestined had gathered here to formulate a plan to save Hikari. After knowing that she was abducted to the Dark Ocean, the Chosen Children had been trying to save her by all means. However, Dagomon had prepared a well-trained army for them, and so far all their rescue missions had resulted in defeats. The digimons were all injured and needed some time to recover before they could fight again, and Takeru was getting more and more anxious each day over his uselessness and their immobility. _

_Taichi and Yamato watched the young blond with pain in their eyes. They both wanted desperately to save Hikari, but as leaders of the digidestined they also realized they could not let their emotion take charge. Taichi gave Yamato a look and, after receiving an approving nod from his best friend, followed the blond outside. _

_It wasn't hard to spot Takeru's messy blond hair. He took a seat next to him, and said nothing for a while. The two boys both just watched the trees and grasses swinging to the wind slowly. Flowers were grown on the green land, and if they paid any slight attention they could hear the sound of wild insects yelping and the cheerful cries of wild digimons playing with each other. _

'_I'm sorry, Taichi-san,' Takeru broke the silence as he hugged his knees. 'I shouldn't have brought more trouble to the team when it's my fault that your sister's gone.'_

_Taichi stayed quiet for a second, before running a hand through his own messy brown hair. 'It's not your fault, Takeru. We've gone through this many, many times.'_

'_I couldn't do a thing to save her,' Takeru whispered, more to himself than to his leader. 'Every time I close my eyes, I can still see her face, the same twisted expression on her face when she disappeared.' He took a deep breath before continuing. 'We have saved the world twice, yet why can't we defeat Dagomon? Why is he so strong? Why…now? Why after all these years?'_

'_What is important is saving Hikari,' Taichi said calmly as his eyes landed on the flowers on the field, 'and I know that I'll do anything I can to achieve that. And I need you to be on the team to do that as well.'_

'_You know I'll do anything for Hikari,' Takeru said plainly. 'I'll gladly trade my place with her if that means she can return home safe.'_

'_And she'll want you to be safe as well,' Taichi managed a chuckle as he put an arm around the blond's shoulder, patting him and bringing him closer. 'You know, Takeru, there's no one in the world that Hikari wants to be with other than you.'_

'_Taichi-san…'_

'_And the guy Hikari likes…loves...doesn't think about giving up his life. I think he will try to find a way to save her, and make sure she recovers, and knows that she will want to spend more time than ever with him instead of watching him suffer in her place.' _

'_Taichi is right.'_

_The new voice made both boys turn their head, and they found themselves facing a white feline with a pair of bright, blue eyes and large, yellow paws. Tailmon did not fare any better than Takeru did after Hikari's disappearance. She was much thinner than before, and if not for Patamon's insistence that she had to eat more to keep herself fit Takeru wondered if the cat-digimon might be thinner than a bamboo stick, by any chance. _

'_No one blames you for what happened, Takeru. Even if they do, Hikari won't.' Tailmon raised her head and stared straight into Takeru's ocean blue eyes that had lost much of their glamour for the past weeks. 'Hikari loves you, and as her partner I know she'll be waiting for you to save her from Dagomon.' The mere mention of the name made her face twist, but Tailmon quickly recovered and put her hand on top of Takeru's._

'_Let's save Hikari together,' she said determinedly. 'When Koushiro, Miyako and Ken are done with the computer data part, we will all go into the Dark Ocean again, and this time, we'll bring Hikari with us as we rip that place into pieces.'_

_Takeru diverted his gaze from Tailmon to Taichi, who gave him a firm nod and placed his hand on his, just like Tailmon did. The blond sniffed, and put his spare hand over theirs._

'_Thank you,' he merely said, but that was enough to bring a weak smile out of the two most important individuals in Hikari's life._

* * *

The army of Dagomon was not ill-prepared for the fight. They had expected it, after all, and the Chosen Children had been trying to invade their castle for the past two months. This time, however, the humans had come with a detailed plan, and the strong army could not hold them down. They could only watch the humans and their digimon partners break inside the tall walls effortlessly.

'Miyako! Koushiro! To the left!' As the leader of the Chosen Children, Taichi, gave his order upon seeing another group of evil digimons approaching them. Miyako and Koushiro did not hesitate, and ordered Shurimon and MegaKabuterimon to wipe out their enemies.

'Mimi! Sora! Help them here! Others, continue forward!'

Lilymon and Garudamon held back the retreating forces that were pressing on them. Their human partners, Mimi and Sora, gave instructions as they gave time for the rest to keep going.

The rest of the group rushed forward as they showed no remorse in killing this time, unlike all the adventures they had had before. Each approaching enemy was wiped out before they had the chance to attack, with WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon leading the front. If any evil digimon managed to escape the previous attack, they would have to deal with Zudomon and Shurimon, who were guarding the attacking team's back. Jyou and Iori remained on the back of the team as the team continued dashing forward, making sure the team's advance was without interruption from the back.

No one blinked an eye as their enemies dispersed into data. They had mentally prepared themselves for this, and they knew that holding back would not bring their dear friend back. There was no other option. Even Iori, who was against it at the beginning, realized sacrifices had to be made, if only to bring Hikari home.

They finally arrived at the main hall of Dagomon's castle, where the king awaited them with open arms.

'Welcome, Chosen Children,' he snarled and looked at each of them, giving the Child of Hope the longest time of stare. 'Welcome to your graveyard, where the Child of Light will be our guest of honour to witness your deaths.'

'Where is my sister?' Taichi yelled, clenching his fists as WarGreymon standing behind him, ready to strike at any moment.

'Where is Hikari? What have you done to her?' Next to him, Tailmon glared at the monster and grunted impatiently.

'Now, now, where are your manners?' Dagomon smirked and took a step forward, so he could get a better look at the six Digidestined, their partners, and Tailmon. Behind him, Daemon and a few Scubamons were standing on guard. 'This is your last moment to live, after all. Why not take your time and cherish your last breath? Or you can also choose to join me, and we'll be a formidable army that can conquer both the Digital World and the real world.'

'As if we'd do that!' Daisuke barked impatiently. He couldn't stand the sight of this monster, and had to try his best not to just jump forward and punch him directly with his bare fist. For sure he realized it would be futile, but what Dagomon did to his friend was unforgivable.

'Cut the crap,' Yamato coldly interjected, and turned to his best friend. 'We're not here to talk. Taichi, let's do this.'

The leader of the team nodded and raised his hand. 'Everyone, you know the plan.' His friends and trusted comrades nodded, and they got in their positions. Taichi gave a nod at Takeru, who returned the gesture as the two silently wished each other good luck.

'Looks like we can't solve this in a civilised manner. Very well.' Dagomon raised his head, and Daemon and the Scubamons marched forward. 'Let us do the honour…of sending the famed digidestined to the deepest level of hell!'

With that, the Scubamons dashed forward and made the first strike. Their attack was handled by Imperialdramon, who shoved off the attack with a flung of his arm. These Scubamons were the elite fighters of the team, and Daisuke and Ken did not dare to underestimate their opponents. Daemon then sent a wave of hellfire to the Digidestined, and MagnaAngemon blocked it with his shield. Taking this as their cue, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon dived towards Dagomon and planned their strike.

'Takeru!' Yamato yelled as his eyes landed on his younger brother. 'Follow the plan! Now go!'

'Take care of MagnaAngemon for me!' With that, Takeru ran towards the other side of the room. Dagomon, seeing him running away, planned to catch him by surprise with his tentacle arm, but it was blocked by WarGreymon's claw as it protected Takeru's path.

'Bring Hikari back to us, Takeru!'

The last thing Takeru heard from the battlefield was Taichi's desperate cry, as he ran away from the scene without turning his head. Tailmon was running beside him as the two made their way to the dungeon, where Hikari had been imprisoned for the past two months.

* * *

'_So what do you think of the movie?' _

_Eighteen-year-old Yagami Hikari clung to her boyfriend's arm as they walked down the street. They had just left the cinema, and were heading to a restaurant as the sun was setting. _

'_Hmm, it's alright,' Hikari rolled her eyes playfully. 'The lead actor is very cute though.'_

'_Hey! Is that all you can think of?' Takeru mocked a whining voice and pinched her cheeks. Hikari just had to giggle at the fake jealous face of the blond. She pressed a quick kiss on his lips as she let go of his arm and started to sprint forward. Takeru, not wanting to lose this childish battle that they often shared for the past three years, chased after her, laughing all the way. He caught up with the brown-haired girl with ease. The basketball training did help with his stamina, after all._

'_Gotcha!' Takeru exclaimed and swung Hikari around, but stopped when he noticed Hikari's face dropped and that she remained rooted on her spot as if being cast by a spell. 'Hikari? What's wrong?' Takeru wasn't sure what was happening. He shook her shoulders, but she did not respond. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, but they never averted from the front._

'_Takeru…' Hikari finally whispered after several still minutes, 'they're coming for me.'_

'_What?' Takeru was confused, and he could tell Hikari was not joking. 'Who?'_

'_They're right here…' the Child of Light sounded frightened and grabbed Takeru's elbow tightly. She raised her head to look into Takeru's eyes pleadingly. 'I don't want to go there…I don't want to go there…I don't…'_

'_Hikari? Who is taking you?' Takeru was alarmed now upon seeing her panicked state. He didn't understand a single thing Hikari was saying. Who was taking her? They were the only people in the area, and he didn't see any imminent danger around. Hikari's body started shaking and she was touching her arms frantically, as if hoping to assure her own existence in this world. Her face turned white and her eyes widened in fear. To Takeru's horror, her body started to flicker, like a broken television that could not be fixed. What scared him more was that he knew he had seen her in such a state before. Images of what happened, seven years ago, flashed through his mind, and those memories were far from pleasant. _

'_Don't let them take me, Takeru,' Hikari whimpered and wrapped her arms around Takeru's shoulders. Takeru did the same, as he had no idea what else he could do._

'_Stay with me, Hikari. Stay with me,' the eighteen-year-old begged, tears flowing down his cheeks. Even when Hikari's face started to blur he still held her tight. 'Stay with me. Don't go. Don't…'_

_But his words did not reach her. In the next moment, Takeru staggered forward as Hikari disappeared right in front of him. The last image that he saw was Hikari's frightened face, and a low, distant groan coming from a distant place that would haunt him for the rest of his life._

* * *

Takeru couldn't help but shiver when he ran down the stairs to the dungeon. The cold atmosphere did not help, as he felt like the temperature was dropping with every step he took. The walls around him were decorated in paintings of ancient evil digimons, with a small number of fire torches providing, albeit barely, the illumination he needed to see the road. There were also weapons pinned to the wall – swords, daggers, axes, hammers – although the blond was not sure if those were real or just for decoration purpose.

After dashing down the stairs, Tailmon helped clear the path by throwing punches at the guards and knocking them unconscious without giving them the chance to fight back. The elite army was out fighting the Chosen Children anyway, so it didn't take Tailmon much effect to defeat these weaker guards. Takeru jogged behind the feline digimon as they rushed to the last cell of the corridor. A lone human figure was sitting there, hugging her legs tightly. Although Takeru and Tailmon could not see her face, they were very certain that was the person they were looking for. It made their hearts ache to see her in such condition, with her torn clothes clinging to her body and her hopeless eyes staring aimlessly at the ground, but at the same time they were running with excitement, knowing that they could finally see her after all these troubled days.

'Hikari!' they both yelled out, and almost crashed to the ground when their legs tangled with each other. Both now stood in front of Hikari's cell, holding the gate and pressing their faces closer to it in order to get a better look of the young woman. She raised her head at the source of the noise, and when she saw who were standing there her dull eyes began to lighten up.

'Takeru…Tailmon…' she whispered disbelievingly. This was the first time she had seen any human face in two months. 'Takeru…' she made her way towards the gate with her hands and knees scrambling on the floor. 'Is that you? Is that really you?' she reached for his hand and their fingers touched each other, their bodies separated by the solid gate. The minimal physical contact sent an intimate chill down Hikari's spine, and Takeru could not hide his joy. 'You came…you came…' Hikari repeated, and the corner of her lips twisted upwards ever so slightly.

'We'll get you out of here.' Despite the happy reunion, Takeru had not forgotten the purpose of this adventure. 'Tailmon,' he ordered sternly, and the feline digimon nodded in response. She took out the key that she forcefully grabbed from a guard before, and opened the gate. Hikari watched them open the gate, and her digimon partner flew towards her to give her a bone-crushing hug.

'Hikari! I miss you so much!' Tailmon wept, and Hikari patted her head gently. The eighteen-year-old released her embrace and raised her head to face Takeru, who did not hesitate in taking over.

'I'm sorry, Hikari,' he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her abnormally slim waist. He couldn't tell how much he missed this feeling. He shut his eyes upon seeing the scars and wounds all over her body, and he couldn't shake off the guilt he had felt ever since her disappearance. 'I'm so sorry for not doing anything back then.'

'Don't be sorry, Takeru,' Hikari returned the hug with as much affection, her lips slowly turning into a smile. It was a strange feeling to the brown-haired woman. She forgot when she had last smiled, but this regained feeling warmed her heart thoroughly. She certainly missed the feeling of being in his embrace, feeling the radiance of his body temperature and the sensation of his skin. She only wished this moment would last longer, as it offered her a moment of peace that she had not had for the past two months.

'Taichi-san and others are fighting Dagomon in the main hall,' Tailmon interrupted their moment, knowing fairly well that a war was still going on. 'We have to go back and help them.'

'That's right.' Takeru reluctantly broke off the embrace and gave Hikari a small grin. 'We'll go and let the others know that we've got you, and we will defeat Dagomon and his Dark Ocean army.'

Hikari stiffened upon hearing the name of the ruler of this world, and her expression darkened. She rose from her position and, ignoring Takeru's and Tailmon's confused glance, walked towards the open gate.

'Hikari? What's wrong?' Takeru was concerned at the sudden change in her expression, and so was Tailmon, who was eyeing her partner carefully. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

'Hikari! Don't!'

Everything seemed to happen in blurred motion to Takeru. One moment Tailmon was yelling at Hikari and dashing towards her, and the next moment, Hikari was closing the gate behind her, locking it without hesitation. While Takeru and Tailmon had left the key on the gate when they entered, they certainly did not expect Hikari would be the one to take the key away.

'Hikari! What are you doing?' When he came back to his senses, Takeru mimicked Tailmon's action and rushed to the gate, holding the bars and exclaiming his surprise. Hikari did not spare them a glance, and she remained standing still as she kept a distance from them.

'I should be the one who says sorry to you, Takeru,' Hikari's soft voice rang, and the blond widened his eyes as he noticed the pain in her voice, 'but I can't leave with you.'

'What are you talking about?' Takeru lost his usually calm composure and yelled at his girlfriend, not understanding the situation a bit.

'Hikari! Why are you doing this? Let us out!' Tailmon joined in the protest, but all their attempts were thoroughly ignored by Hikari as she stopped her track in front of the cold, solid wall.

'Tailmon,' Hikari started, 'thank you for everything. I'm really glad to have you as my partner throughout our adventures. I can't thank you enough for saving me over and over again. I'm sorry that I'm not strong enough to continue fighting anymore.'

Tailmon just stared with her round, blue eyes, leaving her mouth hanging agape. The graveness of her partner's words made her heart sink.

'Takeru,' Hikari continued speaking, 'you're too good to me. I don't deserve your kindness. Ever since meeting you in our first adventure, you've always been there for me, and I can't thank you enough for all the happiness and joy you have given me.' She made a small laugh. 'I'm such a useless and needy girl, always giving you trouble and hoping for you to come save me.'

'Stop this nonsense!' Takeru barked, refusing to listen to Hikari's oddly phrased sentences. 'Let us out, Hikari! The others need our help!'

Hikari took a deep breath and, for the first time after leaving the cell, turned back to face them. It was then that Takeru saw the silent tears on the corner of her eyes, and the painfully beautiful smile on her face.

'I'm dirty, Takeru. I can't face you, onii-chan, or anyone else like this.'

'What are you–'

'There's a life inside me,' Hikari scoffed as she kept wearing the same heartbroken smile. 'The Scubamons were not joking when they said they wanted me as their queen, all those years ago.'

From a far distance, the roars and cries of digimons and their friends reached their ears, but none of them reached Takeru's ears. He opened his eyes wide and his face was drained of all colours. He found his legs shaking from the realization, although he could no longer feel his limbs, as only pure hatred and frustration filled his whole body.

'I love you, Takeru,' Hikari offered him another sad smile, and looked straight into his eyes as silent tears kept rolling down her cheeks. 'I love you so much. I'm sure you'll find someone better than me in the future.'

When the last syllable left her mouth, Hikari swiftly turned around and reached for the weapons hanging on the wall. She did not hesitate in grabbing a dagger and, before Takeru or Tailmon could mutter a sound, pierced it right through her own heart.

* * *

The combined attack from WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon and MagnaAngemon blasted Dagomon to the other side of the room. The hall was severely damaged after almost an hour of tense battle, and Dagomon was the only enemy left for the Chosen Children.

'Nice strike!' Taichi swung his arm in the air as a victory seemed promising. His joyful emotion only lasted for a split second, however, as he turned his head to watch Jyou holding a pale body. 'Jyou! How is Mimi doing?'

The medical student gave his leader a hurtful look, then shook his head in a resigned manner. Taichi gulped and bit his lips. It was a hard-fought battle with heavy costs on their side. The bearer of the Crest of Courage had to try his best not to let his tears flow as his eyes rested on the lifeless body of Tachikawa Mimi, who had been bleeding nonstop for the past fifteen minutes. Palmon had already sacrificed herself when Mimi was attacked by one of the guards, and the Child of Sincerity could not escape an attack by Daemon, when she arrived with others to assist in the main battle. Yamato was kneeling worriedly next to her with tears in his eyes, holding her hand and urging for her to fight on, but a glance from Jyou was enough to let Taichi know Mimi would not be able to make it.

Taichi shifted his focus to the back of the room, where the younger digidestined gathered. The sight of Iori's cold body still sent chills down his spine, despite him being the first of the group to die. Armadillomon and Iori saved the team when a large group of Scubamons attacked them, and it still pained Taichi to know the youngest digidestined's last words were to urge them to save Hikari with all their might. The calm countenance on the dark-haired boy's face made him want to punch Dagomon senseless.

Sniffing, Taichi took a step forward. As the leader, he knew he was right in making the right decision to fight on. It was what Mimi and Iori would have wanted.

Dagomon was lying still on the ground, and this was the perfect opportunity to kill him off. Taichi raised his head to look at WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon and MagnaAngemon, who were all waiting for his signal. He raised his hand.

But before he could say anything, the sound of heavy, steady footsteps approaching them made them all stop what they were doing. Taichi looked at where the sound was coming from, and his spirit was raised by the sight of Tailmon emerging from the stairs, with Takeru following closely behind, Hikari lying in his arms. While Taichi was more than thrilled to see his sister again, the unreadable expression on the blond's face, accompanied by the flock of blond hair that covered his eyes, told him that something was wrong.

Tailmon raised her head to look at Taichi, and the leader was shocked to see tears flooding out of her blue eyes. He quickly ran to Takeru's side as everyone kept their eyes on the newcomers. An idea popped into his mind, but he desperately hoped that his guess was wrong, that Hikari would raise her head and smile weakly at him, like she always did when she was suffering from various illnesses when she was young.

But Hikari never opened her eyes. Takeru stopped his steps in front of Taichi, and laid her body on the ground as gently as possible. Tailmon was shaking her head in agony, and Taichi could hear the shattering sound of the end of his world. He dropped to his knees and touched his sister's cheek, and the coldness of her skin sent him to his utmost despair.

'What happened?' he managed to mumble, and he saw the fatal wound across her heart. The blood around her dress had dried.

Takeru did not answer his question, however. He bent down to press a soft kiss on Hikari's lips, then on her forehead, before standing on the ground emotionlessly. He scanned the room and looked at each remaining Chosen Children carefully, pausing only momentarily when his eyes lay on Mimi and Iori. The absence of Palmon and Armadillomon in the hall did not escape his eyesight.

'Is he the only one left?' Takeru spoke in a low voice, startling Taichi and MagnaAngemon, who had come to the side of his partner. Tailmon gave her friend a look, and a shared look among her, MagnaAngemon and Takeru seemed to be enough for the angel-digimon to understand their plan. Taichi's weak nod, however, was enough for the eighteen-year-old.

'You know what to do, Tailmon.'

None of the digidestined had any idea what the blond was talking about, but when Takeru raised his D-3, along with Hikari's, in the air, two beams of bright light came out of the devices, forming a giant portal on the side of the room that made them open their mouths in awe.

Taichi blinked. He knew too well what this was. It was the power that Azulongmon had granted on Takeru's and Hikari's D-3 to let the digidestined go in and out of the Dark Ocean. But then, Taichi was confused as he held Hikari's body closely. Azulongmon had reminded them that the portals could only be opened twice, so it's for them to enter the Dark Ocean and leave when they had accomplished their task. Surely Takeru was not thinking of going back now, when the chance of killing Dagomon was right in front of them…?

He was proven wrong again. Moving his arms and generating a power of attraction, MagnaAngemon pointed his arms at the digidestined, and began sending them into the portal.

'Takeru, you're not thinking of…' Yamato watched in shock as he saw Daisuke, Ken, Miyako and their partners, along with Iori's body, being forcefully dragged into the giant light dimension. MagnaAngemon then turned to the older Chosen Children, pulling them one by one into the portal with a stony expression.

'Wait, Takeru!' Even though some of the Chosen Children tried to protest, they could not resist the pulling force of the gate. They could only watch as the blond ordered for MagnaAngemon to send them back to the real Digital World.

'Onii-san, Taichi-san,' Takeru finally spoke when Taichi and Yamato were the only ones left, 'I'm sorry for everything. Please apologize to the Hidas and Tachikawas…and the Yagamis on my behalf. Onii-san, tell otou-san and okaa-san that I'm sorry for not being a good son. And Taichi-san, I'm sorry for not being able to save Hikari.'

'You don't have to do this, Takeru!' Taichi yelled with all his strength, as he and WarGreymon were being pulled into the light portal. Hikari's body rested safely in his arms. Yamato and MetalGarurumon faced the same fate helplessly. 'We're close to finishing this off! Don't do anything stupid!'

Takeru merely gave him a small, pained smile, and the last thing Taichi saw before being dragged into the portal was Takeru pulling out a sword that was, curiously, attached to his belt.

The light portal had finally closed, and Takeru let out a long-held sigh.

'I'm sorry for dragging you two into this,' Takeru smiled weakly at MagnaAngemon and Tailmon. 'For my own selfish revenge, we're all going to die in this forbidden world.'

'I'll never leave your side,' MagnaAngemon assured his partner he looked at his partner with much determination in his eyes.

'This is our decision as well,' Tailmon stood proudly, her chest held hight. 'Let's get rid of this world.'

Takeru did not say anything in response as he just flashed them a sincere and appreciative smile. Then, he walked towards the lying figure of Dagomon, who was getting up slowly, with a sword in his hand.

'We meet again,' Takeru stated plainly, swinging the sword he was holding back and forth in the air. 'Too bad, I stop your plan of getting an heir again, and this time, you won't get a second chance in finding yourself a queen.'

'What can you do, Child of Hope?' Dagomon sneered amidst his own pain. The attack of the Chosen Children had given him plenty of damage, and he tried hard to hide his pain from his enemy. 'You think a tiny sword like that will be able to defeat me?'

Takeru raised his sword and aimed at his head. At that moment, MagnaAngemon and Tailmon concentrated their will and transferred all their power into Takeru's sword. Dagomon watched in horror as the sword began to glow with a strong, pure white light. He could feel the power there. It was the power from the Crests of Hope and Light, a power so strong that was enough to erase the Dark Ocean from its very own existence.

'You plan to…' he didn't get to continue, as Takeru flashed him a wily smirk and looked dead straight into his red eyes.

'For Hikari,' Takeru muttered, closed his eyes for a second as he said her name, and dashed forward to shove the sword right into Dagomon's chest.

* * *

'Is that what really happened to the Digital World?'

Thirty-six-year-old Ichijouji Ken paused and turned around. He was faced with a young girl from his previous lecture. He remembered that she was a freshman, and her appearance – short, brown hair with a red hair clip on her bang – reminded him of someone he knew long ago. It was common that someone approached him after his class, but rarely did his students ask him specifically about his newly published book.

'I don't mean to doubt you, Professor Ichijouji,' the girl said nervously when Ken stared at her like he had seen a ghost, 'it's just that…how to say it…when I read your book, I feel like something is missing. I feel like you're hiding something in your last adventure.'

'Oh?' Ken was not surprised at her accusation, as people challenged his book on the Digital World often, but this was the first time someone mentioned something explicitly about the last adventure they had. 'What part, specifically?'

'I can't really say…' the girl poked a finger at her cheek. 'The part regarding the Dark Ocean, is it true that the Child of Hope and the Child of Light and their digimon partners destroyed the Dark Ocean by giving up their lives?'

The literature professor shifted his body and glanced out of the window. Her question actually reminded him that he had not seen the other digidestined in a while. Being a prominent professor in his field and a renowned author of the bestselling _Digimon Adventure_ series meant that more often than not he had to miss the annual gathering on the first of August.

He wondered how everyone was doing, especially two of the older Chosen Children. Was Taichi still busy with all his diplomatic work? Was Yamato really planning to launch a solo music career? He had last seen them on the death anniversary of Takeru, Hikari, Iori and Mimi. They appeared fine, but he still recalled the emotional breakdown when he interviewed them for information on Takeru and Hikari's involvement in the adventure, particularly the last one. He still felt bad about confronting them on the issue, but at the same time he wanted people to recognize what had happened to the two teenagers who had given their lives to protect the world over and over again.

'Professor Ichijouji?'

The concerned voice of his student snapped Ken out of his thoughts, and the girl was still waiting for him to answer her question. Ken looked at the girl and reminded himself again how much she resembled the Child of Light.

'Do you believe in hope?'

That was certainly not the answer his student expected, so Ken decided to go on without waiting for her response.

'The Crest of Light gives light to this world, and the Crest of Hope continues to shine, no matter how darkness tries to height.' Ken recited melodically from a line of his book. 'No matter what kind of darkness we face, we always need to have light and hope together in our hearts. As long as we believe in the light, hope will follow. That's the important part, and that's what happened.' (*)

The girl seemed to understand what he said, but also looked confused at the same time. 'I guess I get what you meant…' she trailed off, not really sure of the answer herself. Ken just smirked.

'Nanahara-san, right?' he asked, and the girl nodded. 'If you ever have any more questions regarding my book, my assignments, or just literature in general, feel free to stop by my office or send me an e-mail. I'll be glad to help.'

Ken watched the girl gave him her thanks and walked away, all the while thinking to himself about the ending of his book. Was it appropriate to write that Takeru and Hikari, along with Patamon and Tailmon, sacrificed themselves to save the world, instead of reporting the truth? He had struggled with that for a long time before he submitted his final draft to his editor, and he still wasn't sure if that was the right choice.

He had learnt about the truth from Azulongmon and Gennai, after Takeru and MagnaAngemon sent them back to the Digital World. When others were more occupied with mourning or consoling the family members of the four deceased digidestined, Ken decided to confront the two to see if they knew what really happened. It was a fact that he had not shared with all the other digidestined, for fear that it would only serve as salts to their open wounds.

The window outside portrayed a beautiful world, a bit too bright for his eyes to see clearly. He raised his arm to block some of the sunlight, and when he looked out the window again, he could see two people standing below the tall tree of the school campus. The man with blond hair was smiling at him, and the brown-haired woman had her arms around the blond's waist, her mahogany eyes showing her appreciation as she looked back at the blue-haired man and smiled. Two creatures that respectively resembled a pig and a cat were standing by their side faithfully, watching him with their round, blue eyes that never quite lost their innocence.

They looked just like when he last saw them, eighteen long years ago. Young, energetic, and as bright as ever.

With that in mind, he reached for his mobile phone in his pocket, and made a call.

'Hey Miyako? It's me. Do you think it's possible to arrange a digidestined meeting?' He took a deep breath when his wife questioned the purpose of it after a pregnant pause. 'No, it's not urgent, and nothing is happening to the Digital World. I just think it's been a long time since we all gather together…'

* * *

_The End_

* * *

* The first sentence of Ken's line was extracted from Episode 37 of Season 2, where Azulongmon talks about the crests of Light and Hope. I forgot what the exact quote was, and I'm taking this directly from the website of _Takari Forever: Temple of TK and Kari_.

* * *

I made Ken a professor/writer by the end of the story. With Takeru out of the picture, I feel like he would fit the writer role. Hikari's story of being abducted and impregnated by a monster was inspired by a similar scene from _Saiyuki_. I re-read the whole series during summer, and I guess that was why I got this idea randomly one day.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this story. On one hand it's good to try explore genres that I'm not familiar with (action and adventure), but I can't say I like the idea very well either, especially when such thing was happening to some of my favourite characters. It already turned out longer than I thought, and hence I omitted some battle scenes and only briefly mentioned the death of Iori and Mimi. Originally, I planned to end this with the aftermath of Takeru, Tailmon and Patamon destroying the Dark World with their power, and how the digidestined dealt with the situation, but I couldn't bring myself into writing it. I feel like I have already made them suffer enough with this intensity of tragedy. I notice it's a trend in my Tragedy stories that it always ends somewhat positively.

Please kindly review to let me know what you think! This story is like a challenge to myself, so I'd really like to know what you all think about it!


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